A Gift for Adam
by iJareth
Summary: A "Beauty and the True Beast" Christmas one-shot prompt


**_HobbitLover4eva_****_ from _**_**prompted:**__ Have you ever seen that midqueal enchanted christmas? I was wondering if you could have belle giving adam a gift, you know he gave her the rose. I wondered if you could write her giving him a gift. I just thought it would be sweet._

**_A/N: _**Happy super early December holidays, I suppose? But big thank you to HobbitLover4eva for such a cute, fluffy prompt (and for being my first ever prompter)! I hope it's everything you hoped for.

* * *

{Christmas Eve}

"Adam...Adam, it's time to wake up," a soft, sweet voice whispered.

Adam groaned and pulled the covers over his head. He tried to hide from the slowly rising sun.

He heard a quiet giggle and felt the covers get torn away. He groaned again, blindly looking for them. Instead, he caught a small, soft hand. Adam smiled, and gently tugged it until the owner fell on top of him. He heard a gasp then another giggle, though it was muffled and vibrated against his chest.

Reluctantly, Adam opened his eyes to reveal a set of smiling brown eyes and soft, slightly tousled dark hair.

"At last, the beast is awake," Belle teased.

He mentally rolled his eyes and pulled her closer to him until she completely covered him. Belle lifted her head to look at him better.

"You know, I'm not actually a bed sheet," she stated.

Adam simply smiled. He lifted a hand to caress her face.

"It's too early to wake up," he replied. "And besides, you're much warmer."

Belle laughed before leaning back down and giving him a quick kiss. She pushed herself off of him then bounced out of the bed.

"Come on, it's Christmas Eve and we still haven't finished decorating." she announced.

He groaned again and rolled back over. Just as he was about to close his eyes again, he felt a pillow hit his head.

"Ow..." Adam moaned, glaring at Belle.

She merely grinned at him impishly as she continued to get dressed. He closed his eyes again and felt something else hit his head. Adam sat up and noticed a shirt and trousers slide down his head.

"Get dressed. I'll meet you in the ballroom," she said, walking out of the room.

Adam fell back on the bed and sighed. She was unusually bossy and mischievous, and not just because it's Christmas. He sensed that she was hiding something, but was too groggy to think on it further.

He decided to instead focus on getting dressed before Belle sent in Cogsworth to pester and annoy him.

After stumbling around while simultaneously maintaining perfect balance, he managed to pull on all of his clothes. He stood in front of his mirror and ran a quick hand through his hair before he left the room to face the obnoxiously high-spirited day.

* * *

As soon as Adam reached the staircase, he was bombarded by the sight of endless rows of garlands, bows and holly and the strong scent of cinnamon and pine needles. He stood at the top of the stairs, taking in the festive sight.

He started down the stairs, shaking his head and laughing. Adam had nearly forgotten how much Belle loved Christmas. The only part of the holiday he truly enjoyed was how it made Belle truly happy. He would willingly change back into a beast if it meant seeing her smile so genuinely.

Adam slowed his stride, embracing whatever was left of the calm before the storm that is Christmas. When he reached the closed doors of the ballroom, he paused to take a deep breath steeling himself for what is sure to be an overwhelming sight. He pushed open the doors to reveal the magically transformed ballroom.

Despite himself, Adam couldn't help but be impressed by the decorations.

All around him, the servants were in a flurry of activity: some adding more garlands to the room, some setting up a table that would soon be covered in delicious food and some putting up more ornaments around the gigantic Christmas tree. He saw Belle standing on a ladder, gently placing a crystal rose near the top of the tree. Below her, Angelique, the castle decorator, directed every single bit of décor.

Adam stood quietly in the background, taking in all the strange happiness and festivity. Even before he was cursed, he doesn't remember ever being this happy during the yuletide holiday.

But despite the grandeur of the ballroom, the only sight he could focus on was the glow surrounding Belle. She wasn't smiling, her face was set and focused on the task at hand, but she looked _happy_; more happy then he has ever seen her. Adam grinned slightly at the thought.

"Oh, your grace, you're here!" a voice exclaimed behind him. Adam jumped slightly, turning around to see Cogsworth looking up at him expectantly.

Adam nodded. He started walking towards Angelique. Her back was facing him as she over saw the different tasks.

"What can I do to help, Madame Angelique?" Adam asked.

Angelique turned around at the sound of his voice. The stern look that usually occupied her features changed to one of surprise.

"Uh, um...nothing at the moment, master," she replied. "We're nearly finished - "

"Adam!" Belle interrupted.

Adam and Angelique looked up to see Belle descending the ladder. Adam stepped towards her to help her down.

She gave a quiet "thank you", smiling widely up at him.

"Angelique is right, we're just about finished," she reiterated. "But we haven't put the star up yet. Would you care to do the honor?"

He glanced quickly at Angelique, who nodded hesitantly. The decorator apparently still has strong memories of Christmases past (when he shared very little interest in helping others, _especially_ during the holidays), so her shock was understandable.

"It would be my pleasure," he said with a small smile.

He started towards the ladder. When he reached the bottom step, Belle handed him the large gold star. Adam nodded his thanks and climbed up the steps.

As soon as he reached the top, he glanced down. Everyone in the ballroom had stopped what they were doing to watch him place the heavy tree topper.

_I guess they still haven't fully embraced how much I have changed. _Adam thought to himself.

Mentally shaking off the strange pressure he suddenly felt, he then very carefully placed the star on the tree. He paused for a moment, watching the star to see if it will tip over. When it didn't, he let out a sigh of relief.

Below him, everyone cheered. Adam allowed himself to embrace the small, yet tedious victory.

* * *

Everyone in the ballroom was filled with Christmas cheer. People were laughing, singing and dancing.

Adam quietly stood to a side of the ballroom and observed the spectre. He felt like an outsider looking in, but he supposed that was bound to happen: he was gone for a whole year and during that time was in the presence of a mysterious sorceress. It solidified that it would take time for him - and everyone else - to get used to him being human again.

Thankfully, he wasn't alone in his musings.

Belle stayed by his side the whole night. Whether it was because all of the villagers they invited, many of whom came to the castle for Gaston's infamous parties, made her feel uncomfortable, or if she simply didn't want to leave him alone didn't matter to him. Adam was simply happy that she was still with him.

By the end of the night, after they exchanged gifts with everyone and said their goodbyes and merry Christmases, Adam was able to admit to himself that despite the strained air, he actually enjoyed himself.

After saying good night to the servants, Belle and Adam went back to their room. He leaned against the window, watching the snow fall.

He felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and smiled down at Belle. Her hands were behind her back and she looked excited about something.

She pointedly looked above him. Adam followed her gaze and gave a throaty laugh. Mistletoe hung in the window's small alcove right aboce his head. He took a small step towards Belle, gently framed her face and leaned down for a soft kiss.

When he tried to deepen the kiss, a hard object pushed against his chest. He reluctantly released Belle and saw a small, rectangular and oddly familiar present. A dark red ribbon sealed the green box.

Adam gave her a quizzical look. She merely smiled and nudged the gift towards him. He hesitated for a moment before accepting it.

Very carefully, he pulled the ribbon until it unraveled to the floor. Then he lifted the lid to reveal a book that he long thought was lost. He book she gave him during their first Christmas together, when he was still a beast. Adam smiled and pulled Belle in for a tight embrace.

"Thank you, Belle," he whispered.

"Don't thank me quite yet," she whispered back. Adam pulled away and the confused look returned.

"There's more to your gift. Look through it," Belle encouraged.

He did as she bade, thumbing through the familiar words and pictures. When he reached the end, he noticed a few more pages were added. But they were blank.

"I don't quite understand..." Adam said.

Belle reached for his hand, then placed it on her stomach. He lifted an eyebrow, but nodded for her to explain.

"Adam..." she started to say. "We're going to have a baby."

Adam stared at her incredulously. It was quiet for a long time as he absorbed the meaning of her words.

"A...baby?" he asked.

She nodded. She watched him carefully, and tried to gauge his reaction.

Suddenly, he dropped the book, grabbed Belle's waist, lifting her up into the air and spun her around the room. She gave a startled laugh. Just as quickly as it happened, Adam set her down and embraced her again.

"Thank you, Belle. Thank you so much for everything," he said.

Belle leaned back and shook her head. "No thanks are needed. I'm just happy that you're happy,"

Adam kissed her forehead and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"I am _very_ happy," he agreed. "I think it's safe to say that this has been one of our better Christmases together."

Belle laughed again in agreement.

"Most certainly," she replied.

Adam looked Belle deep in the eyes and placed a hand on her cheek.

"Merry Christmas, Belle." he said.

"Merry Christmas, Adam." she whispered back.

Belle wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled himself down for another kiss.

_**FIN**_


End file.
